It's almost that time of year again—snow is falling, turkey day is fast …

Fitness

Not everyone runs with a phone that has built-in GPS, we know. That's why Garmin's GPS products have been so popular among runners, walkers, cyclists, and hikers—the company makes high-quality devices that don't weigh you down and work well for tracking your workouts. The Garmin Forerunner 205 and 305 (for blue and red, respectively) is a favorite among Ars readers (front page and forum alike), and there's a reason for that: there's a lot of bang for your buck in this little device.

Not only can the Forerunner 305 track your route via GPS—with exceptional signal reception, at that—but it also has a built-in heart rate monitor and can provide precise speed, distance, and pace data that can be downloaded to your computer later. It can calculate your calories burned, and the software that comes with the device can help you track your progress (with route sharing, of course). The package comes with a dock, wrist strap, and a charger, and it can be used for a variety of exercise-related activities. The functionality is simple compared to beefier models, but sometimes simple is all you need. For under $200, it definitely makes a great gift for the active folks in your life.

For cyclists, there are plenty of options for making motorists aware of your presence at night, with LEDs packaged in various blinking and colored forms. What makes the Spooklight stand out among them is that it actually gives riders the opportunity to let drivers know what their intentions are, using a visual language that drivers can understand. In short, it's an LED light that lets bike riders act like a car.

A wireless remote attaches to the handlebars, and allows the rider to signal left and right turns, or even switch on hazard lights. An accelerometer in the main unit senses braking, and lights up accordingly. And, while cruising, a steady blink will alert drivers of your presence.

The whole thing recharges via USB and, in a pinch, you can reverse the process, draining your bike light to charge a cell phone. Great for when a mechanical problem ends your ride early and you have to call a friend for a pickup.

Sure, if you're a runner, there are plenty of armbands, waistbands, and whatever-else-bands out there to help you carry your stuff. But we've found that most of them are low quality, have too-specific a purpose, or are just plain not what we were looking for. Then our Twitter friends pointed us to Spibelt, a "small personal item belt" that's the perfect size for carrying your phone and keys while you're running.

The Spibelt is really just a stretchy fanny pack that's extremely small upon first glance, but can stretch to fit an iPhone, BlackBerry, Pre, or any other device you can think of. You can fit that, plus ID, and even leave your headphones sticking out one side for some running music bliss. Sure, the Spibelt isn't mindblowing tech, but we've found it to be incredibly useful (not to mention versatile, since it's not a single-purpose iPod armband or somesuch) in our running activities.

This is a recommendation born of frustration. We love to bike, but the weather in New York and Chicago ensures that it's not a year-round activity. Which means that, for a large chunk of the winter, we're stuck in a gym, going nowhere, watching the Watts that we're pumping out evaporate in a cycle of futility.

If we're stuck going nowhere, we'd at least like to think that the power we're producing isn't going nowhere as well. But it turns out there are very few options for harnessing pedal power; this home-made contraption seems like one of the better ones, although it's still expensive. Basically, a standard bicycle trainer will support your bike in place, and ensure that the rear wheel turns a generator with each rotation. Hook it up to a sufficiently large battery, or directly to a battery-powered device, and you can charge your household items during your winter exercise. They'll also sell you a 600W lead acid battery pack if you want to run an appliance for a bit.